Santa Clara council paves way for layoffs

The Santa Clara City Council voted 6 to 1 on Tuesday night to adopt a plan that would pave the way for 82 layoffs, or 9 percent of the workforce, if the city's bargaining units don't agree to give up raises or accept unpaid work furlough days.

Deputy City Manager Carol McCarthy said that the bargaining units have until Dec. 9 to agree to the concessions. If they don't, the layoffs would be effective Jan. 8.

"The plan is in place," McCarthy said today. "But staff will continue to talk with the remaining bargaining units who have not yet agreed to the requested concessions, in the hope that agreement can be reached and layoffs can be avoided.''

Three of the 10 bargaining units have agreed to forgo a 4 percent or 5 percent pay raise scheduled for December, and to choose to take either a 5.15 percent pay cut scheduled for next year or 12 days of unpaid work furlough.

Outgoing Mayor Patricia Mahan cast the dissenting vote. There had been some talk at the council meeting about delaying the vote by at least week in the hopes that more of the bargaining units would agree to the take-backs.